Contest Update
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Thank you to everyone who participated in the "Name our Newsletter" contest. There were so many fun and creative titles that it is going to be hard to choose the winner! The entries are now in the hands of the judges and we will be choosing the winning name soon, which will be announced in the October issue.
We have decided to send all 72 contestants a CPY goody bag for participation. You should be receiving these in early October.
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Greetings!
Well, it is officially autumn, if you can believe it. The winds are changing,
the kids are back in school and yarn excitement abounds. There is something special about the fall season in the needlework world. It is the time for great textile inspiration and some serious project planning. Crystal Palace is always a
great choice for a variety of skill levels and tastes. Our selection of
yarns has something (or more) for everyone, and we always are conscious
to keep the price point down.
This month we are featuring our beautiful Panda Silk and Panda Silk DK, two great yarns for transition into cooler weather. Between the free patterns on our website and patterns from independent publications, there are a boat load of new fun, beautiful, simple, and complex CPY projects from which to choose this season. Enjoy!
Sincerely, Cathy Campbell
Crystal Palace Yarns
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Panda Silk and Panda Silk DK
Panda Silk  | Panda Silk: Panda Silk has been in our offerings for about three years now. It is lusciously elegant, swims off the needles and hooks gracefully, and adds an extra level of luxury to your project. Made from 52% bamboo, 43% machine washable merino wool and 5% combed silk, it is pure heaven in a 204-yd 50-gram ball. It is a fingering weight yarn, yielding 7-8 sts/inch on #1-2 needles and fantastic for lace, socks, delicate sweaters and formal baby attire.
Panda Silk is 41 shades full for all moods, tastes and applications (16 solids and 25 prints). Five of these shades are brand new for Fall 2010.
Panda Silk DK  | Panda Silk DK: Panda Silk DK came on the Crystal Palace scene a little later on. It is, as you might guess, a double-knitting weight version of the original Panda Silk. It offers the same strikingly beautiful bamboo/wool/silk blend as its cousin above, with a 5.5-6 sts/inch gauge on #5-6 needles for larger-gauge sweaters, shawls, baby attire and home accents. When I use this yarn, I almost want to cry it is so darn gorgeous.
PSDK (as it is known around the office) boasts an impressive palette of 43 shades total (12 solids and 31 prints), seven of which are brand new for Fall 2010.
For those of you who have tried either or both of these shimmery lovelies, you know what I am talking about. For
those who have not, I highly recommend running out to your local yarn shop and trying some immediately! In either case, Panda Silk and Panda Silk DK will not disappoint this fall season.
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Free Patterns:
Panda Silk, Panda Silk DK and More...
Since their inception, we have developed a number of Panda Silk and Panda Silk DK patterns for your enjoyment. This month, I would like to highlight a few of note. Also, I am including an update on new patterns in other yarns that have recently been added to the site.
Lace Circular Shawl in Panda Silk  | Panda Silk: There are several Panda Silk patterns offered free on our website. The stitch pattern in the Silken Ease Scarf by Kyle Ann Williams is a lace stitch that looks beautiful, drapes nicely and promises not to make your head hurt while knitting it. Panda Silk is an excellent choice for lace work, as it is fine (but not too fine) and luxuriously shimmery. The Panda Silk Lace Circular Shawl takes lace work to another level, using a pointed border and circular construction to produce this phenomenal piece. Panda Silk has also been a popular choice for sock knitting, as in Ribbon Socks, Silky Drops and Kilauea.
Cowl in Panda Silk DK  | Panda Silk DK: The most recent patterns added to the PSDK line are the Panda Silk DK Cowl, Pimpelliese Shawl, the Scallop Lace Hat & Fingerless Gloves and the Shawlette with Lace Pattern. The one-ball PSDK Sidestepping Cowl by Laura Andersson uses a diagonal rib to create the subtle patterning in this mini-cowl. The Pimpelliese Shawl is a free pattern designed by Christine Ebers and available in both English and German off site. It is a generously-sized triangular shawl with pointed edging similar to that of the Panda Silk Lace Circular Shawl, mentioned above. The Scallop Lace Hat & Fingerless Gloves by Gail Tanquary is a sweet, 3-ball set using a scallop-fan stitch and basic cap and glovelet construction. Both the hat and the gloves are great projects to turn to when you need a break from that sweater or blanket on which you have been working for weeks or months. The Shawlette with Lace Stitch is another Gail Tanquary design, using up only two balls of PSDK. This is a nice piece for the season. It is getting chilly but not yet cold, and sometimes you just need a cover up for your shoulders. It is a nice piece to wear to an early fall wedding, for instance.
Check the Free Patterns by Yarn Type section of our website for all the Panda Silk and Panda Silk DK patterns we offer.
Child's Dragon Rib Hat
in Chunky Mochi  | More: We have recently added several new patterns to our website, including some lovely ones from the Mochi family. The
Child's Dragon Ribs Hat (child's version of the adult Chunky Mochi Dragon Ribs Hat) by Laura Andersson uses just one ball of Chunky Mochi. The
horizontal ribs are formed from various widths of reverse St st. It is a
great one-day project for that special little person in your life. The Triangle Shawlette uses three balls of Chunky Mochi and size 13 needles, with a garter-stitch body and center-back eyelet accent. The Fan Stitch Cowl/Neck Cozy uses just one ball of Chunky Mochi and size 13 needles. This neck cozy is perfect to put under a jacket or coat; the yarn is so warm, soft and comfy against the skin. It could even double as a wide handband/ear-warmer. The Chunky Mochi Fan Stitch Cowl #2 is the newest pattern up: a wider, more loosely-fitting version of the former. The Mini Mochi Topsy-Turvy Cowl by Laura Andersson is a sampler of fun stitches that can be worn with either edge at the top.
Boomstick Shawl
in Mochi Plus  | We also added a Bolero Jacket out of Cotton Twirl, a fun child's Cupcake Hat out of Merino 5 and Squiggle, a Drop Stitch Scarf out of Mini Mochi and a Broomstick Lace Stole out of Mochi Plus. What is broomstick lace, you ask? It is a technique using a large diameter
knitting needle (in this case US size 50) and a crochet hook. The
pattern notes a few references for tutorial on the technique.
You can always view our patterns by visiting either the general Free Patterns section, which lists the patterns by project type, or the Free Patterns by Yarn Type section.
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Indie News:
Panda Silk, Panda Silk DK and More...
Crystal Palace has found its way into many independent, online and in-print publications, and we love that! It gives us opportunity to show off our yarns in high-fashion designs. And designers seem to LOVE Panda Silk and Panda Silk DK. This month, I would like to share some past and current Panda Silk and Panda Silk DK patterns, as well as update you on a few new patterns in other CP yarns.
Ikebana Socks
in Panda Silk  | Panda Silk: The September 2010 issue of the UK print magazine, Knitting, includes a bonus sock pattern booklet featuring, among others, the Ikebana knee high sock pattern done out of Panda Silk.
This stunning design incorporates a climbing flower-like pattern
with eyelet and mini-bobble accents. This pattern was originally
printed in Knitted Socks East and West: 30 Designs Inspired by Japanese Stitch Patterns by Judy Sumner (published by STC/Melanie Falick Books, photographs by Yoko Inoue). This book features a second Panda Silk design called Biwa as well as a Crystal Palace Merino 5 pattern called Sayonara.
Power Cables by Lily Chin (photography by Joe Hancock)  | You can also find a delightful Panda Silk Reversible-cuff Sock pattern in Lily Chin's new book, Power Cables, which came out in June of this year. Panda Silk has been featured on the cover of Issue 3 (Vintage Wedding Gloves) of the UK-based magazine Inside Crochet (KAL Media). Professional independent pattern lines like Heartstrings Fiber Arts and Army of Knitters use Panda Silk as a key ingredient in their designs as well. Army of Knitters, a refreshing set of hip designs for the young and young at heart, featured Panda Silk in two of its Spring/Summer fashions (Dinard and Erquy). Be
on the lookout for more Panda Silk in future publications, including
101 Sock One-Skein Wonders by Judith Durant (due out November 2010).
Inside Crochet, Issue 4  | Panda Silk DK: Panda Silk DK has also found itself in some inspiring indie designs. The Piannisimo Lace Blouse from Heartstrings Fiber Arts is a gorgeous lace cardigan that it written cleverly in Panda Silk for chest sizes 34-39" and in Panda Silk DK for chest sizes 42-50". This pattern was just released this summer and is a great garment for fall. As Jackie E-S, who designed the pattern, writes, "Alternating diagonals of eyelets suggest a soothing repetitive melody
punctuated with the dainty staccato of herringbone faggot lace columns.
The theme of pianissimo is echoed in the softly gathered bodice that
adjoins the lacy saddle shoulder continuations of the full-length
sleeves."
Monica Welle Brown's delicate and trendy Bejewelled Tank Top in Issue 4 of Inside Crochet (again, the cover photo) is a perfect fit for Panda Silk DK's drape and elegance. You can purchase digital back issues of Inside Crochet at Yudu.
Stellar Hat in Mini Mochi  | More: Currently out on the virtual news stands is the Fall 2010 issue of Tangled, the first online "bi-craftual" magazine that features knitting
and crochet patterns equally. The second project featured in this
premier issue is a beautiful crocheted beret-style hat called Stellar designed by Linda Permann out of our dear Mini Mochi.
Mini Mochi was an excellent choice for this design, accentuating the
lovely star-shaping that occurs at the top of the hat. Mini Mochi has
proven not only to be a hit with knitters but with crocheters as well
(see Flower Garden Shawl, Ripley the Peacock, Diagonal Scarf, Cachiyuyo).
And speaking of online magazines, Knitcircus showcased two projects using CPY in recent issues; Issue 8 featured a Mini Mochi Hat by Bianca Boonstra and Issue 10 featured Calcite, a zig-zag table runner made from Party Ribbon.
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Handmade Especially for You:
Scarves to Comfort
 Crystal Palace believes it is important to help out those in need, and we donate yarn supplies to various charity organizations that use knitting and crocheting as a way to make the world a little better. Handmade Especially for You is one such organization, a non-profit Southern California-based group run by Leslye Borden that makes scarves for abused women living in shelters. Scarf kits using donated yarn are assembled for each volunteer. The
weekly meetings of the group are hosted by June Grossberg of Concepts in Yarn & Needlepoint in Torrance, CA, who has been an instrumental part in the organization's success.
The scarves have a tremendous effect on those who receive them. Leslye says that "the counselors at the shelter use the excitement and positive feelings the women have when they receive a scarf as an opening to begin the therapy the women need to change their lives. It's incredible that a scarf could have that big an impact."
To take this a step further, Handmade became involved in a project where high school students learned to knit scarves and in turn donated them to the shelters. Read more about this project and this incredibly thoughtful organization here.
Handmade is expanding and needs to move to a larger facility. This is great news, but Leslye needs your help. Your monetary donations can significantly support this effort. Handmade accepts donations via PayPal. Also, if anyone in the Rancho Palos Verdes vicinity knows of a low rent, safe workspace in the area, please contact her. You may also contact her for details on how to donate your time to knit or crochet scarves for this special cause. Handmade hopes to distribute 10,000 scarves by the end of 2010, so they could really use some extra hands!
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